The pursuit of cohesion is the cornerstone of the European Union’s regional policy. However, the successive editions of development strategies differ in areas where investment is concentrated. The work reviewed the theoretical models of regional policy and identified the main areas of interest for successive cohesion strategies in Poland’s example. An econometric model of spatial interaction defines the spatial extent of diffusion of development incentives from centres to periphery. A dynamic analysis of the data for the period 1996-2017 allowed for an empirical assessment of the implementation of the development strategy in Poland, and its results were confirmed by an analysis of the L-moments of the distribution of entrepreneurship. A period of maximum effectiveness of cohesion policy has been set. An attempt has also been made to identify areas responsible for ineffective policies based on the smart methodology.